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Movement Nutrition – Variety is Critical

Movement Nutrition is super important. We know that foods like dark leafy greens are an excellent source of nutrition, but we wouldn’t eat only greens at every meal because then we would miss out on essential nutrients not found in greens. When we only exercise in one medium (run, cycle, swim, etc.) it is the movement equivalent of eating only greens.

Research is pointing to the importance of infusing movement into your day, all day long. For the next week, make an intention of infusing movement where you normally may not have had it or much of it. And, find variation in your usual ways of moving. For example, here are some ways that I infused a variety of movement into my life in the past 24 hours:

Movement infusion: I walked to the coffee shop this morning instead of driving
Movement variation: I walked on grass instead of pavement, where I could, to introduce more subtle loads to my feet, ankles, knees, hips, spine, shoulders & neck. I sought out obstacles like planters to step over or on, benches to go around, curbs on which to slack line, poles to hold with one hand and lean far away from to stretch my arms/shoulders, etc.

Movement infusion: I sought out the parking space furthest from the door at the grocery store
Movement variation: I brought a stack of carts in with me, pushing them through the parking lot! I would be good at this job and would benefit from more pushing with my body & arms as it puts different loads on my tissues, improving my cardiovascular system by helping blood to move into my capillaries, which brings nutrition and helps with waste removal.

Movement infusion & variation: I ate, knitted, read, and wrote at a standing work station, while stretching my calves on my half dome, spreading/lifting my toes, balancing on one leg, lifting my arches, and rolling the plantar fascia of each foot on lacrosse, racquet, and tennis balls.

Movement infusion & variation: I uncoupled trips outside, meaning i made separate trips out to empty the compost, take out the recycling, empty the trash, feed the birds, get the mail, get something out of the shed – all while barefoot for the variety of temperature and textures these tasks offered to my feet.

Can you think of ways to infuse a variety of movement in your day? Nothing is too small or mundane.

About me

I teach Yoga, Restorative Movement, and best practices to strengthen, stretch and mobilize ankles and feet.
I learn by writing. My blog is where I write about what I know and what I am learning about movement.
I am not an expert on feet or alignment or stretching or any of the subjects that I write about, but I hope to bring to bear my expertise as a former research librarian and current student of many body movement fields, to take potentially complicated information, distill it, and communicate it to you so that you can take charge of the health of your feet and all that they carry.